Professional background:Worked at the U.S. District Court in Michigan and California; for a law office and title company; as an assistant manager of a small restaurant; for the University of Michigan; and at a civil court office in Pennsylvania

Political/community experience: Elected to the Longmont City Council in 2007.

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Member of the STAMP (Station Area Master Plan) committee for FasTracks planning. Appointed to the following National League of Cities Committees in 2010: The Finance, Administration and Intergovernmental Relations Steering Committee, the Panel on Democratic Governance, and the Council on Youth, Education and Families. Economic Vitality Task Force member.

Name a person you admire and explain why: Former President Jimmy Carter, for his work to help people in the U.S. and around the world. He has devoted himself to many humanitarian causes, from disaster relief and housing to helping conduct free and fair democratic elections around the world.

Describe a challenge you have faced in life and how you handled it:Not answered

Recently, one of Longmont's longest-standing industries, the Butterball turkey plant that employs 350 Longmont residents, announced it was closing its doors. What can or should the city do to attract more jobs in general and to fill that space in particular?

First, the city needs to forge relationships with all existing employers, so we can keep the jobs we have. Companies already in business here can help. The Longmont Area Economic Council is a partner in this, but it is sometimes up to all of us who live or work here to spread the word.

The first step is for a company to make a connection to the city and then be interested to explore all we have to offer them. The new city "brand" will be premiered shortly; that will give us a higher visibility and attract new business. To fill the Butterball factory, the city will have to be open to ideas from the property owner.

We should also be in weekly contact to see what their plans and timeline are to keep or liquidate the building and adjacent property.

"Quality of life" is frequently identified as an important issue for residents, but it's also one that means different things to different residents, such as park quality, a prosperous mall or the absence of train noise. What do you see as the most important quality of life issue in Longmont and how would you address it?

Most people I hear from are concerned about noise. At any geographic location in Longmont, residents have a reasonable expectation that when they are at home, they can have some hours of peace and quiet inside or outside.

People seek out our parks and open space to have some quiet; they should be able to find that. We don't live in a large urban environment that bustles 24/7, like New York. When loud noises from trucks, cars, planes and amplified sound disturbs the peace, then folks get irritated -- the level of noise doesn't meet with their expectation.

To address this as a city, we need to all sit down together and come to an agreement about how to mitigate noise disturbances.

One of the early decisions to face the new City Council will be the selection of a city manager. What qualities, skills or characteristics do you consider vital for the soon-to-be chief executive of the city?

We need a professional, educated individual with some experience managing a city. I think having a sense of humor and the ability to handle controversy is important. The last few years of a tough economy demands that the new manager be creative and resourceful to balance our budget while being sure to fund the services and programs that are our core values as a city.

The most important quality is that when the candidate accepts the job, they believe they will be leading the best city in America.

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